Judges

new venture creation cameo round Dayton, Ohio

Aaron Delidow

Aaron Delidow is a well-rounded executive with over 30 years of practical experience in management, finance, operations, sales and marketing. He began his career as an auditor for a national drug store chain, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, and then went on to serve in a variety of capacities in the performance improvement industry. Today Aaron is an owner and managing partner in Provest Properties Inc., a full service mergers & acquisition intermediary. During his career, Aaron has facilitated over 250 mergers and acquisitions and counting.

Don Hoendorf

Don Hoendorf is a seasoned professional who demonstrates expertise in leading and developing high performance finance and operation teams in growing businesses. He has a well-rounded experience base that combines twenty years with major corporations within the Defense industry, TRW and Northrop Grumman, along with another twenty years of helping lead several dynamic small businesses. He is currently the Finance Director for The Entrepreneurs Center in downtown Dayton, and is serving and has served on a significant number of Boards of Advisors through Aileron over the past seventeen years. Don has also been active in volunteering his talents with local organizations like Miami Valley Child Development Centers, his home parish of St. Christopher Catholic Church serving on both Education Commission and Parish Council, and for the last 15 years volunteered at Chaminade Julienne High School serving on the Board of Trustees and as Chair of the Finance Advisory Council.

Denise Palmer

Denise spent most of her career in media – radio, television news, newspapers and digital. She now spends her time serving as a community volunteer and enjoying family and friends. Denise finished her work career as president and publisher of The Tampa Tribune from 2006 until 2011. In addition to the Tribune, she was responsible for news and content across print, tv and digital as well as all community publications and digital operations. She was previously president, publisher and chief executive officer of The Baltimore Sun from 2002-2006. Prior to that, Denise was president and chief executive officer of ChicagoLand Television (CLTV), and vice president/development, strategy and finance at the Chicago Tribune where she also led the regional market teams, research and the Spanish-language weekly, Exito. Denise also held vice president/strategy and finance, vice president/finance and administration, and director/finance positions at the Chicago Tribune. Denise began her Tribune Company career in 1980 as a corporate auditor. She was named planning analyst in 1983 and manager in 1986. In 1988, she moved from the corporate office to join WGN Radio as director/finance; she was promoted to station manager in 1993. Prior to Tribune, she was a senior auditor at Coopers & Lybrand in Dayton, Ohio. Born in Indiana and raised in Florida, Denise holds a bachelor’s of business administration degree in accounting from the University of Dayton and a master’s of management degree from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is a CPA. Denise is a board member of the Visiting Nurse Association Foundation (and past chair) in Chicago. She serves as a Trustee of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay. She chairs the Business School Advisory Board at the University of Dayton and is currently on the search committee for the new dean. She is also past Chairman of the Inland Press Association and has served on a wide variety of civic, charity and industry boards. Her husband, Gregory G. Palmer, is a corporate tax partner at McDermott, Will & Emery. Denise resides in Tampa and is lucky to spend the warm weather months in Dayton and Chicago.

Greg Palmer

Gregory (Greg) G. Palmer is counsel with McDermott Will & Emery. He assists major international companies in tax planning and tax controversy matters. Greg advises clients on corporate organization and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, international taxation, pass-through entities and tax accounting. He represents clients in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examinations, with IRS appeals, in matters before the IRS National Office and in tax litigation. He has spoken and written on international, federal and state and local taxation. Greg is also a certified public accountant (Ohio, 1980).

Tom Vogel

Thomas L. Vogel served as an economist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources before launching a 24-year business career with Verizon Communications where he performed progressive duties in demand forecasting, new product development, pricing, regulatory matters, and product management. Upon early retirement in 2003, Tom turned his attention to agriculture. He presently owns and manages 12 grain farms in western and central Ohio as well as four cattle operations. Throughout his 34-year career as an adjunct faculty member at eight colleges and universities, Tom has injected a huge dose of economic and business reality into every course while introducing students to his two business models for success – the Vogel Planning Model and the Vogel Growth Model.